


Falling Embers

by LaneMartin13



Series: Parkner Week 2019 [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Explosions, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 19:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20179477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaneMartin13/pseuds/LaneMartin13
Summary: Parkner Day 6: Hurt/ComfortOR: There's an explosion





	Falling Embers

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I posted day 7 before I posted day 6 so now this is going to be out of order and that makes my OCD upset but here we are
> 
> I hope you like it!

The first thing Harley became aware of was the persistent ringing echoing in his ears. The second thing he became aware of was the fact that his head was throbbing mercilessly and there was a heavy weight on his leg. The third thing he became aware of was the fact that said leg was buried under concrete and there was rubble surrounding him and dust in the sky.

When his vision cleared up and the blue sky above him stopped spinning uncontrollably, he raised a shaky hand to his head. He was too disoriented to properly notice how rivulets of blood ran down it and his arm and he continued to raise it to prod at his forehead. His fingers came back sticky with more of the copper substance after pressing them to the wound and he let his hand drop back to his side in defeat, shutting his eyes tightly and breathing before opening his eyes again. Moaning lowly at the pain all over his body, he mustered enough strength to raise his head and look around him before forcing himself to lean up on his other forearm, nearly blacking out at the instant vertigo it caused. His senses now coming back to him, Harley looked at the scene around him in the downtown Manhattan area.

There was ash falling, as well as debris. Some corner stores and storefronts suffered moderate to severe damage, shattered windows and broken glasses lining the sidewalks everywhere, concrete sticking up in places from the ground, and falling pieces from parts of buildings. There were overturned cars and flames everywhere, people lying bleeding and injured, others prying themselves up and others unmoving.

Harley was vaguely aware of how fast his heart was racing as he finally let himself begin to panic and pushed himself to sit up quickly, despite the new wave of dizziness that overtook him. Although one hand and arm was slick with blood and he could feel the substance run down the side of his face as well, Harley pulled unsuccessfully at the large slab of concrete entrapping his right leg. “God please give,” he begged the object, pulling it again before crying out at the pain it sent up his leg. Letting go, he dropped back onto his forearm before lying down again and draping his arm over his eyes, smearing blood on it and breathing deeply when his head spun again. With tears threatening to spill at the corner of his eyes and a sob bubbling in his chest, he almost didn’t hear the crackle coming from the comm in his right ear. The sound only made him want to cry more, this time in relief.

_ “-ley!”_ he heard, his ears still ringing slightly so noise was dialed down. _“Harley! Kid! Hey, answer me!” _Tony. That was Tony. He sounded distressed, worried, his voice tight and it sounded like he was shooting at something at the same time. _“Peter get out of here!”_Tony called next, his voice cutting out for a minute in between words since Harley’s comm was damaged. Harley was trying to piece together what had happened and what was happening, picking up only bits and pieces of the conversation going on over the comms.

That’s when it hit him.

_ Harley and Peter had been on a date, basking in the glory of their weekend after a long week. Deciding to get coffee, they were peacefully sitting down at a little cafe in midtown when their phones alerted them of the attack not far from them. The Avengers were already on their way and Harley stuck his comm in his ear as Peter looked at him apologetically._

_ “Go Pete, it’s okay, they need you,” Harley urged his boyfriend, nodding encouragingly after assuring him it was fine that he go and help them. His own suit was under repair, one of the features not functioning being the one that allowed Harley to call his suit to him from anywhere. So for now, he had to be content with listening in on the comms. But Peter, Peter was good to go and help and by the sound of it, it seemed as though they needed all the help they could get._

_ “I’m sorry, I promise we’ll reschedule. Again.” Peter apologized, leaning over to kiss his lips quickly._

_ “I’ll hold you to that Parker, now go, duty calls,” Harley smiled, kissing him back quickly before watching him dart out of the shop and down the street._

_ He had walked out of the cafe when Tony began describing the group of men with alien tech, shooting at anything and everything._

_ “Tony are you sure—” Steve was asking but Harley was barely focusing, his gaze honing it on something done the road._

_ “Guys, the van. It’s here,” Harley breathed, body going rigid as he realized what that meant. He had PENELOPE run a scan and what she showed him shook him to the core. “Everybody move, get down!” he yelled loudly through the street, rushing into the middle of it to catch the attention of as many people as he could as he tried running towards the van to get people away from it but he was too far to get very close._

_ “Harley get out—” Tony was saying but it fell on deaf ears because at that precise moment, the bomb inside the white van detonated, the destruction immediate and creating chaos. Harley grabbed a young girl near him to protect her before it all went black._

Harley’s eyes shot open and he snapped out of it when his comms cleared out and his name was yelled sharply. It took him a few moments, but he was finally able to form coherent words. “I’m here,” he coughed, clearing his lungs. Where was that girl? Was she okay? If Harley could just _move _he could find her and—

_ “Oh thank god,” _Tony breathed, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. _“Listen, half the team is coming to your end to help while the rest finish up with these goons. Are you hurt?”_ Tony asked, already honing in on the location of Harley’s phone and flying there, Peter swinging below him faster than he’d ever seen.

“It’s not that bad,” Harley said, gritting his teeth. He wasn’t necessarily lying, because compared to some others he thought he was pretty fine.

_ “That’s not reassuring at all, especially coming from you,” _Tony said, his voice coming in and out because Harley’s comm was flickering out again.

“My comm’s breaking up,” Harley said quickly before the connection cut out completely and he was left by himself once more. Groaning, he tried to get his leg free again but when that failed, he focused his attention on the movement to his right. _Oh thank god. _“Are you okay?” he gently asked the young girl he had protected earlier. Looking at her now, she only appeared to be about eight or nine years old. She was covered in soot and ash and had a few scrapes here and there but she terrified and sitting there, completely alone.

The girl snapped her head up to look at him and nodded, beginning to crawl across the pavement to get to him, too afraid to stand. She knew he was the one who saved her and she felt safe with him. Once she made it to him, Harley wrapped his non-injured arm around her to pull her closer. “I can’t find my mom,” she whispered, holding onto his shirt with a death grip.

“I’m sure she’s already looking for you,” Harley assured, trying to be positive because he really hoped her mother wasn’t one of the bodies lying or trapped under rubble somewhere. “You need to get out of here though, it’s dangerous,” he told her worriedly, blinking his eyes to clear his blurring vision.

“The Avengers are coming though, right?” the girl asked, her voice wavering.

“Yeah, they’re coming,” Harley nodded, screwing his eyes shut in pain when he realized that was a very bad idea. “What’s your name?” he asked her when he was able to open them again.

“Felicity,” the young girl said, looking down at him worriedly and frowning. “You don’t look so good,” she noted because she could tell he was hurt and pale and bloody.

“Felicity, that’s a nice name,” Harley smiled softly, changing the subject. “My name’s Harley,” he continued, shifting slightly to ease the pressure on his leg but to know avail.

Felicity offered to go and find some help but Harley shook his head, not wanting her to get lost doing so and end up getting hurt since he had no idea if the men who did this were still nearby. He could tell she offered out of worry but look too scared to actually carry it out and it seemed like she was a little relieved when he said no. At least if anything happened, he could protect her here and Tony would be there soon.

He asked Felicity to tell him how her day had been going up until that point and he closed his eyes as he listened to her speak. The twenty year old was in and out of consciousness, Felicity’s words coming in and out of focus like a radio channel out of range and his ears filling out with static. He didn’t know exactly when he was fully pulled under into the realm of unconsciousness, but he started to come back around when there was a hand on his cheek and someone calling something at him worriedly. If he strained his ears enough he thought maybe it sounded like his name.

“Harley! Harley, wake up!” Peter exclaimed worriedly, tapping his cheeks and trying to rouse him as Tony and Cap worked on lifting the large concrete slab. They had run into some trouble on the way and had to deal with it, hence their delayed arrival. Peter had run at lightning speed when a little girl caught sight of them and started calling for them worriedly. Peter ached to look for Harley but he had to help her, so he rushed to her only to find his boyfriend beside her, unconscious and deathly pale, trapped under rubble and covered in blood. That’s how he found himself in the position he was currently in.

Harley’s eyes fluttered open sluggishly when his hearing came back and he was able to recognize Peter’s worried tone. They fluttered and threatened to close again but Peter gave his cheek a harsh tap to get him to stay awake, prompting coherence. “Felicity— you have to help her— she’s hurt— find her mom—” he started muttering, head lolling in Peter’s hands.

“She’s okay, Clint has her and is on it. Just relax, Harls. But you have to stay awake okay? You hit your head pretty badly,” Peter said worriedly and rushed, but trying to be assuring. He looked back at Tony and Steve, breathing in relief when he saw they were lifting the concrete and getting it off of Harley’s leg. He whipped back around to look at Harley when he heard him groan lowly, just in time to see his eyes roll up. “Harley! Baby please, hey, stay awake, please,” he pleaded, shaking him gingerly but forcefully to try and wake him up. Tears blurred his vision beneath the mask but he forced them away. “Tony, he’s not waking up!” he called behind him, his voice cracking as he cradled the limp body.

Suddenly Tony was there, faceplate down and kneeling beside them, draping Harley’s uninjured arm across his shoulders and snaking his arm underneath his son’s knees, being mindful of his injured leg and using Peter’s help to make sure he was properly settled. “I’ll get him home,” he told Peter, sharing a look with Steve before standing up and taking off, his faceplate shutting automatically.

Peter nodded and before he could blink, Tony was gone and he was left to stare at the blood stains on the pavement and the wreckage around him.

“He’ll be okay,” Steve assured, setting his hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “But right now we need to help,” he said and Peter nodded slowly, muttering a soft “yeah” before rushing off to help civilians get help, Steve joining him shortly after along with Natasha and Clint after the archer reunited Felicity with her mother, who had been separated from her in the chaos. Harley would be relieved to know that she was in fact alive and that the two were together. While they did that, Thor, Banner, Sam, and Rhodey were handling the clean up on the other end of the city, meaning they were finishing up taking down the people responsible for this and making sure they were behind bars where they belonged.

Half an hour later, Tony hadn’t updated anyone on anything and Peter grew worried, bouncing anxiously as he moved around helping out.

“Kid,” Steve said, catching the twenty year old’s attention. “Go, we can handle it from here,” he instructed, more ordering than suggesting since it was the only way Peter would really listen.

Peter hesitated only for a minute because it was his duty as a superhero to help out. When he heard Steve’s tone he looked around the area for a moment to reassure himself that they really could handle it, and thanked him before webbing away as fast as he could.

When he got to the proper floor of the tower, he yanked his mask off aggressively and ran down the hall to medical. “Tony, how is he? Where is he? Is he okay?” he asked quickly, rushing over to the man, his movements being halted by Tony catching him and holding him by his biceps.

“Slow down Pete,” Tony said, making sure he breathed a few times before answering his questions. “They were running some tests first to make sure there’s no swelling in his brain or internal bleeding and there’s not. They’re stitching him up now and checking him out to see what else is wrong but he should be okay,” he informed him, knowing better than to sugar coat it.

“Okay, okay, that’s good,” Peter gulped, nodding quickly and slowing himself down, plopping down in the seat in the hall that Tony guided him to before the billionaire plopped down beside him. Peter breathed shakily and dropped his head in his hands, speaking softly, “I never should have left him,” he breathed regretfully, lifting his head and resting his clasped hands against his chin and mouth.

“It’s not your fault,” Tony argued, setting his hand on his back near his shoulders to comfort him. “His suit was out of commission and we needed all the help we could get. No one could’ve known the bomb was on that street. And Harley, Harley wouldn’t have left those people to die,” he said, shaking his head.

Deep down Peter knew that there was nothing he could’ve done but seeing Harley on the ground so lifeless and bloody was a jarring image that would haunt his brain for a long time.

“Why don’t you go get cleaned up? He’s not going anywhere and we can meet back here after,” Tony suggested, rubbing his back lightly to try and shake him out of whatever reverie he was drowning in.

“Okay,” Peter complied weakly, not having the energy to argue about anything. He numbly made his way through the halls and to his room, feeling out of his body as he did so but alarmingly present at the same time. Everything was too real which reminded him of how this was very much reality and not in fact a dream that he could wake up from.

Now, he was still numb with worry and anxiety, the only difference being that it had been three days since the attack and he was seated at Harley’s bedside, left alone for the moment. His boyfriend had been in and out of consciousness in that time and Peter refused to leave his side no matter what. He had a bad concussion from the knock to the head and his leg was broken badly to the point of needing physical therapy and rehabilitation to return to normal. It would in time, they knew this for a fact, but seeing his leg suspended slightly and covered in metal and bandages still sent a pang of guilt and sadness through everyone’s heart.

Peter had been so deep in his thoughts, he nearly missed the blue eyes fluttering open. “Harley, hey, you’re okay,” he said immediately, brushing his hair back away from his face gently to catch his wavering attention.

Harley furrowed his brows in confusion before blinking a few times and looking around as much as he could, slowly taking it in before it came back to him. “Felicity, is she okay?” he asked, his voice cracking from disuse and worry.

“She’s perfectly fine and she’s with her mom, Clint found her,” Peter assured, moving his hand to his chest to keep him down and make sure he didn’t try and sit up. “They were waiting until you woke up to come and visit,” he added.

Harley visibly relaxed at the information, sagging further into the bed and closing his eyes before opening them again, sliding his hand to Peter’s and tugging on it gently. “Lay with me?” he asked softly.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, you need to heal,” Peter said, shaking his head but Harley cut him off with a desperate “please” that melted Peter’s heart, his features softening as he nodded slowly and crawled into the bed beside him, wrapping his arm around him and holding him close without hurting him, letting his head rest on his shoulder. “You should try and sleep more,” he sighed into his hair, glancing down only to find Harley’s eyes already closed and his breathing even. Peter relaxed into the bed, dropping a kiss onto his hair, before he looked to the side of the room, looking at all the get well cards, balloons, and other paraphernalia. He smiled softly to himself and ran his hand along Harley’s arm gently, finally able to relax after the whole ordeal and let his eyes drift close as well.

Felicity and her mother would come later on with more presents to add to the pile and each member of their large family would stop in at some point or another to check in and make sure everything was okay. Tony would fret while denying it and Pepper would fret blatantly and point out Tony’s fretting. Thor and Rhodey would kick the asses of the attackers in prison and Nat and Steve would supervise. Peter would stay stuck to Harley’s side like glue and Harley well, Harley would heal.

He would heal with his family at his side, who would help him every step of the way.

He would heal with his boyfriend, who would hold his hand during PT and make him laugh when he cried.

He would heal with the reminder that he saved a little girl and many other people, a little girl that he would visit and sometimes babysit when he was better.

He would heal slowly, but Harley would heal.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated :)
> 
> My tumblr is harleykeenerdeservesbetter so feel free to reach out (leave prompts, ask questions, chat, anything)!


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